This 35-Year-Old Legacy is Under Attack: Revisiting the Capitol Crawl

In March of 1990, disability activists created a powerful display by crawling up the Capitol steps in Washington, drawing attention to the need for federal protection of disabled individuals. As a result, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed only four months later. Now, with a multitude of threats looming over these protections, it’s important to look back at this impassioned, and ultimately effective protest.

Before the ADA was signed into law, Americans with disabilities had no legal protection against discrimination. This created many barriers to accessing healthcare, education, employment, entertainment, public transport, voting, etc. Years of advocacy from the disabled community led to the initial drafting of the ADA, but things were moving very sluggishly, until the grassroots disability rights organization American Disabled for Accessible Public Transportation (ADAPT) orchestrated a number of protests to put pressure on the government to finalize and pass the act.

ADAPT was founded in 1983 by Reverend Wade Blank in Denver, CO, with the primary goal of making public transportation accessible to all, including wheelchair users and other disabled passengers. With the lack of progress being made on the ADA’s passage, they planned the demonstrations that took place March 12, 1990, which ultimately culminated in the ADA being signed into law.

To kick off the demonstrations of that day, ADAPT organized a procession of over 700 activists from the White House to the Capitol building, which took place in the early morning of March 12. This demonstration itself is known as The Wheels of Justice March.

Photo by Jeff Markowitz/AP

After the march concluded and the droves of activists reached the Capitol, powerful speeches were given by featured speakers. Then, about 60 disabled protestors abandoned their mobility aids and crawled up the Capitol steps, powerfully showcasing the urgent need for accessibility and federal protections for disabled Americans. Some crawled on their hands and knees, some sat, facing away from the building, and scooted themselves up each step individually

“I want my civil rights. I want to be treated like a human being,” said activist Paulette Patterson, while painstakingly crawling up the Capitol steps.

Another activist, Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins, at only eight years old and living with cerebral palsy, bravely made the ascent herself.

"I'll take all night if I have to,” said Keelan-Chaffins while climbing.

Photo by Tom Olin, courtesy of Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins

"As I got further and further up the steps, once people realized that I was actually climbing and participating in the Capitol Crawl, all I could hear was this humongous roar of cheering,” said Keelan-Chaffins, years later, looking back at the demonstration.

by Terry Ashe/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images

In their pockets, these protesters carried rolled up copies of the Declaration of Independence. Upon completing the summit and reaching the top of the steps, protestors entered the Capitol building and delivered the document to members of congress, with a pressing plea to finalize the ADA and sign it into law.

The Capitol Crawl wasn’t the final demonstration of the Wheels of Justice campaign before the ADA was passed, but it is considered the most effective and pivotal moment in this chapter of history. On July 26, just four months after the Capitol Crawl, the Americans with Disability Act, the world’s first comprehensive civil rights law for disabled individuals, was signed into law by president George H.W. Bush. This law would go on to protect people with disabilities from being discriminated against in a wide array of settings.

While the ADA is still written into law, its protections come into question when the government does not prioritize its enforcement. Without federal legal enforcement, the ADA could essentially become void, overwritten in the courtroom, allowing new, ableist precedents to take place. Between disparaging comments toward disabled individuals and other ableist rhetoric presented by the Trump administration, the recent repeals of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) efforts, and overall lacking of protections for marginalized groups, there is a fear among disabled communities that the landmark achievement of the ADA’s passing could be reversed.

Advocates are working tirelessly to safeguard these protections and further prevent discrimination against Americans with disabilities. One example of this is our sister organization, the Workers with Autoimmune Ailments Alliance (Double U Triple A) creating the legislative proposal for The Autoimmune Protection Act. This act would create penalties for companies that force employees with autoimmune disorders to work inside the office by not allowing remote working, with exceptions provided for in-person industries like restaurants and retail. To help Double U Triple A pass this bill, please sign the petition at the link below.

At a time when federal protections for marginalized groups are not a guarantee, it is vital to look back at this historical demonstration and what it achieved. Activists and allies to disabled Americans should be prepared to continue this fight.

The rights of this video belong to the University of Texas at Arlington Libraries, Special Collections.